Get Your Favorite Local Food Without Human Contact!
First and foremost I want to say that while the Coronavirus pandemic is serious and you do need to take precautions, over-reacting and buying every single roll of toilet paper in the tri-state area is probably not the answer. One of the healthier pieces of advice that everyone seems to agree on is avoiding large groups of people until this whole thing blows over. That, however comes with a pretty significant and negative effect on the local economy.
Local restaurants are seeing a drop in customers and that is troubling. These gems of Shreveport operate on such small margins - a month or two with dramatically low sales could be a death sentence for their establishment. Luckily, in 2020 we have a way to support these awesome eateries, get our favorite foods, and not visit them at the same time! In fact, you don't have to see or talk to a soul (outside of possibly texting some directions).
According to the Mercury News, food delivery services like Door Dash, Postmates, Uber Eats and more have all started offering or are preparing to offer contact-less delivery protocols. What's more, Engadged just announced that GrubHub will be dropping all fees for locally owned restaurants in light of the Coronavirus Pandemic!
My wife works for Door Dash and she received a message through the app detailing how to ensure that the customer gets their food without having to see a soul. The driver must place the food in front of the customer's door and leave, but not get out of sight entirely. The driver must take a picture of the food being collected to complete the job. It's a bit like an unofficial stake out, but less creepy.
Here's what you can do: Make a covered, dry, and obvious place for the delivery driver. If you like to leave a cash tip for the person bringing your food, you'll need to make a safe but easy to find with directions kind of place as well. Oh, and don't forget: Even though you probably won't seen them, smile! They will be seeing, and taking a picture of, you.